New Data and Potential Pathways of Paleoindian Exploration in the West Virginia Highlands

Summary

Comparatively few Paleoindian artifacts have been found throughout the Appalachian Highlands, especially in the uplands of West Virginia. Lack of professional research in West Virginia appears to be the leading cause for this paucity of data. A literature review and newly identified artifacts from surface collections provide a baseline for future research questions and survey strategies. Most artifacts derive from the Ohio and Kanawha river valleys, but new artifacts from the most mountainous portions of the state suggest that early groups also utilized interior river valleys and uplands. The Tygart and Greenbrier valleys are the largest of these interior river systems, and are most accessible by following waterways out of the lower elevations of the Ohio valley to the west. This research identifies high probability areas for Paleoindian sites in the West Virginia highlands based on artifact distribution, topography, hydrologic systems, and lithic raw material sources.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 83rd Annual Meeting, Washington, DC (2018)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 20391